Unto her cousins in the AEthelmearc College of Heralds and abroad does Aurenca Mouly tender greetings. I apologize for the length of this commentary; perhaps someday I'll learn to be less verbose. But I doubt it. :) This is the first time I've commented on my own, so if there are errors (grievous or minor) contained herein, well, it wouldn't surprise me. ^^;;
1. Alric of the Mists - Resubmitted device
Per bend sinister sable and purpure, a wyvern sejant Or.
Conflict with Percival de Toulouse: Per fess indented azure and gules, a wyvern passant Or.
One difference for the field, but according to Wreath (10/2000 LoAR, concerning the badge for the Wyvernwood Pursuivant), "As a wyvern passant can be equally blazoned as a wyvern sejant, there is no CD for posture..."
2. Amaryllis Coleman - New badge
(Fieldless) An amaryllis flower Or seeded sable.
Summary: This is probably a suitable period charge, but there are a number of previously registered items this submission might conflict with. There are also identifiability issues.
Rather to my surprise, I discovered that (apparently) no amaryllis flowers have been registered in the Society to date. There are three issues that spring to mind: conflict, whether the plant was known in period, and whether this is an accurate description of an amaryllis flower.
The history of the amaryllis plant is both confusing and surprisingly controversial to one (such as myself) whose hobbies for the most part do not touch on botany, gardening, or plant taxonomy. I have gathered that there is a genus called Amaryllis which is native to Africa, specifically the Cape of Good Hope; flowers classified in this genus are true amaryllis flowers.
However, plants from the Hippeastrum genus (which is from Central and South America) are frequently confused with plants from the Amaryllis genus. The American belladonna (genus Hippeastrum) was reportedly being cultivated in Italy prior to 1625; the Cape Belladonna (genus Amaryllis) was reportedly being cultivated in Italy in 1633 ( http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/1978/Amaryllis/sealy.htm ). The period source for the American belladonna (genus Hippeastrus) is the Hortus Farnesianus, which was published in 1625. It "contains descriptions of rare plants growing in the garden of Cardinal Odoardo Farnese"; a translation, the original, and a description of the appropriate section can be found here: http://www.geocities.com/kingke.geo/Amaryllis/farnesia.htm . The source for the Cape Belladonna is Ferrari's De Florum Cultura, which dates to 1633.
A good picture of H. equestre can be found on this page: http://mdsesd.mds.com.tw/~kinmatsu/flowers/Hippeastrum.equestre.html . Some pictures of A. belladonna can be found at http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantab/amarylbella.htm . A. belladonna has narrower, more pointed petals; I am having difficulty determining which flower the charge in this emblazon is supposed to be. Hippeastrum is shaped roughly like an unleaved trillium over an unleaved trillium inverted. (A trillium inverted is one petal up, two petals down, if I am reading the January 2003 cover letter correctly. The January 2003 cover letter, which is dated 21 April 2003, can be found at http://sca.org/heraldry/loar/2003/01/03-01cl.html .) It is possible that Laurel might rule that a trillium conflicts with an amaryllis; however, all other registrations of a trillium to date seem to be clear of this badge, even allowing for the possibility of no difference.
In November 1997, the submission of "Azure, a sexfoil, a chief invected argent" (under the name Isabella Sharman) was held to conflict with Catrin ferch Dafydd's previously registered "Azure, a rose slipped and leaved within a bordure dovetailed argent", with only one CD for the change of the type of secondary charge ( http://www.sca.org/heraldry/loar/1997/11/lar.html ). The badge for Caid's Order of the Flower is "(Fieldless) A rose Or barbed and seeded vert." If no CD is given for the type change, then this is a conflict. There do not seem to have been any rulings which dictate that a sexfoil is to be regarded as being a completely different type of charge or given 1 CD for difference from a rose in the intervening time.
I suspect it is possible that the difference between an amaryllis and a sexfoil, as well as that between an amaryllis and a rose, might be ruled to be insufficient for the granting of a CD. If so, all armory which uses sexfoils is sufficiently clear, but as the Kingdom of Caid registered "(Fieldless) A rose Or barbed and seeded vert." for the Order of the Legion of Courtesy in January 1996 (LoAR: http://sca.org/heraldry/loar/1996/01/lar.html ). If no CD is given for the type change, then this is a conflict.
I also feel that a lily affronty and a daffodil affronty might be insufficiently different from an amaryllis to grant a CD for difference. If so, the badge for the Order of the Gilded Lily, registered to the Barony of Winter's Gate in 1982, "Sable, a lily blossom Or", may be a conflict, depending on the posture of the lily blossom.
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/1978/Amaryllis/tjaden.htm is a reproduction of an article which appeared in the Journal of the Society for the Bibliography of Natural History in 1979 concerning the reason why there are two different flowers which are known as "amaryllis"; it sheds some light on this botanical controversy. http://www.botany.com/hippeastrum.html contains additional pictures of Hippeastrum equestre and some description of the range within the Hippeastrum genus. The Cape of Good Hope was discovered in 1487, according to http://www.win.tue.nl/cs/fm/engels/discovery/africa.html . According to http://www.sevenoceans.com/MaritimeDiscovery/EndOf15thAndFirstPpartOf16.htm, there was a Spanish colony in Central America by 1509; exploration of South America appears to have followed this.
I feel that some clarification regarding which sort of amaryllis this is intended to be is in order. A redrawing may also be necessary; this seems to me to be unidentifiable as an amaryllis (of either sort, though it might be identifiable as Hippeastrum) based on the depiction in this emblazon. Conflict issues are of course the province of the Laurel office; however, this submission seems to me to require more attention at the Kingdom level before it can be forwarded to the Laurel office.
3. Aminah bint al-Megal'lid - Name change from Aminah of Nithgaard
This submitter feels that "the binder of books" - the translation of "Mujallid al-Kutub" - sounds more lyrical than "al-Megal'lid", which means simply "bookbinder". It is unlikely that these more poetic bynames are to be found in period Arabic, but if examples could be located, it might be possible to argue that "Mujallid al-Kutub" is plausible.
4. Angelique de Beauvais - New badge
(Fieldless) A demi-escarbuncle argent.
I found no conflicts.
5. Drogo Rabenwald - New name, New device
Per bend sinister azure and sable, an armadillo rampant argent.
There are a number of place names in Bahlow which end in -wald, -waldt, and -wold where this element means "woods" or "forest". Brekewold (s.n. Breckwold) is documented to 1327 and 1461 as a last name. Matthias Grunewald (s.n. Grunewald) lived from 1475-1528; Grunewald was apparently a pseudonym (source: http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/grunewald/ ). Under s.n. Huwe, Bahlow lists "Huwenloch", and gives the meaning as "owl woods". Finally, there is a place called Rabenwald in Austria. I was unable to determine if this was a place name that was used in period. I found no conflicts with this name in the online ordinary.
There are a number of animals which might be perceived as in conflict with the armadillo. The only precedent I was able to locate is from 1989; it states that an armadillo is only a CVD from a hedgehog. I checked "Beast - Hedgehog", "Beast - Weasel", "Beast - Other", "Beast - Aardvark", and white foxes in conflicting postures in the online armorial. If neither a CD nor X.2 (complete change of type) is granted between the armadillo and the animals below, there may be a conflict with the items below:
Maximilian Racheengel - (Fieldless) A winged ferret segreant argent, winged and marked, charged on the shoulder with a cross formy fitchy purpure.
The wings, marking and cross may or may not be significant enough to grant additional CDs. As segreant is equivalent to rampant, there is no CD for posture.
Marie of Erin - Purpure, a mink rampant argent, orbed gules, armed Or.
John the Idiota - (Fieldless) A wolverine rampant argent.
Eadwyn Inhold - (Fieldless) A beaver sejant erect maintaining two oak leaves argent.
According to the 10/2000 LoAR, there is no difference between sejant erect and rampant, so there is no CD for posture.
6. Elina Einarsdottir - New household name House Lindau
This seems to be clear.
8. Finn Folhare - New badge
(Fieldless) A comedy mask per pale ermine and gules.
This is clear in the online armorial.
9. Geneviéve Beauchamps- New name, New device
Gules, a rose Or between three rabbits courant in annulo argent.
Larousse is in fact a (modern) French dictionary. My copy is in another state, but "Beauchamps", literally translated, means "beautiful field(s)" in modern French. It appears under the header form "Beau" in Dauzat.
10. Juan Miguel Cezar - New badge
Or, on a mountain issuant from base purpure a donkey passant contourny
Or.
Summary: This may conflict with Robert of Dunharrow's unaugmented arms: "Or, a mountain of three peaks issuant from base vert, snowcapped and charged with a horse courant to sinister argent". Also, the mountain extends past the halfway line.
The combination of badge, personal name, and household name might be construed as an overly modern allusion (to Maxwell House coffee and Juan Valdez), but I don't believe so.
On my first skim of this month's letter, something about this tickled my brain. After I looked at the badge, name, and household name, I made the connection. The submitter is Juan; his household name might be translated "House Valdez". The badge features a donkey on a mountain: eventually I thought of the coffee commercial which features Juan Valdez holding a donkey's lead-rope, standing outside a window, advertising the "mountain grown" coffee of Maxwell House. (I don't know if Juan Valdez is a registered trademark or not.)
I don't think that these pieces of information are combined in such a way as to be more than a mild joke; nor do I think that they constitute something which will "grab the listener by the scruff of the neck and haul him, will he or nill he, back into the 20th Century", as Bruce Laurel wrote of the name submission "Porsche Audi" in July 1992. (For the full text of the ruling on intrusively modern names, copyright issues, and joke names in conjunction with this submission, see http://www.sca.org/heraldry/loar/1992/08/lar.htm .)
In September 2001, the current Laurel team reaffirmed a 1993 comment by Bruce Laurel that stating that mountains should only occupy the lower half of the field; the mountain in this submission extends a bit past the halfway line. (The comment concerns a submission made by Blackstone Mountain; the letter can be found at http://sca.org/heraldry/loar/1993/09/lar.html . The September 2001 LoAR can be found at http://sca.org/heraldry/loar/2001/09/01-09lar.htm ; it concerns the submission of Charles le Grey.)
A mountain is considered a peripheral ordinary; RfS VIII.3 states that only "simple geometric charges placed in the center of the design" are suitable for voiding. A comment that an erased voided mountain was grandfathered to the Barony of Hidden Mountain, made in September 1999 ( http://www.sca.org/heraldry/loar/1999/12/lar.html ) suggests to me that today a mountain would not be considered a voidable charge.
Therefore, the case of Robert of Dunharrow should be considered. His entry in the ordinary is viewable at http://oanda.sca.org/cgi-bin/oanda_name.cgi?p=Robert+of+Dunharrow ; I've summarized it below.
In 1973 "Or, a mountain of three peaks issuant from base vert, snowcapped and charged with a horse courant to sinister argent" was registered to him. (This is actually a more detailed reblazon than the originally passed blazon.) In 1979 these augmentations were registered to him:
The October 1979 LoAR ( http://www.sca.org/heraldry/loar/1979/10/lar.html ) states that "The original arms are unchanged unless, as in this case, they are modified to make room for augmentations. The bearer of the arms still retains the right to display the original arms if desired." Dame Elsbeth (then Laurel) reaffirmed this in the 4/2000 LoAR ( http://sca.org/heraldry/loar/2000/04/00-04lar.html ) concerning the submission of Cainneach mac Asgaill.
Therefore, the unaugmented arms must be conflict checked against. No CD is possible for the field. One CD can be granted for the change in tincture of the mount. I found no specific precedent, but I doubt there would be a CD given between a horse and a donkey. Per the 8/2001 LoAR ( http://www.sca.org/heraldry/loar/2001/08/01-08lar.html ), there is no difference between courant and passant. As Robert's horse is courant to sinister and Juan's donkey is also facing the sinister side of the shield, there is no additional change for the way the animal is facing. There is thus only one difference between these two charges: Robert's horse is argent and Juan's donkey is Or. Therefore, no CD can be granted for the tertiary charge on the mountain. Unless Laurel feels that the snowcapping or shape of the mountain on Robert's device makes it sufficiently different from the one on this badge to merit a CD, I feel this is a conflict.
12. Magariki Katsuichi - New badge
(Fieldless) A demi-sun gules within and issuant from a mascle argent.
Pretty!
As of June 2002, the distinction between a lozenge and a lozenge fesswise is not blazoned. (See Cecily of Whitehaven's returned device in that month's LoAR.) As a mascle is a voided lozenge, it's possible that this distinction need not be blazoned.
13. Pádraig Ó Cillín - New name
I agree with the consulting heralds that "O Cillin" and "O Ceallachain" are sufficiently different to be free of conflict.
14. Ríona de Fae - New name, New device
Per pale sable and argent, a dragon rampant counterchanged maintaining
a
flame Or.
Summary: This spelling is probably unregisterable. The submitter has a number of options.
When Da'ud returned "Riona of Caerleon" in the June 1996 LoAR ( http://www.sca.org/heraldry/loar/1996/06/lar0618.html ), he stated:
"The only available documentation for Riona is Peadar Morgan's statement in Ainmean Chloinne: Scottish Gaelic Names for Children that it is an occasional diminutive of Scots Gaelic Catrìona. Morgan gives no indication that it is a period diminutive, and it is completely unlike any of the corresponding documented period English diminutives, e.g., Kit. Lacking evidence either for a pattern of similar period Gaelic diminutives or for a period English form of which it could be a Gaelic spelling, we are unwilling to assume that it is a legitimate period form."
Da'ud goes on to state:
"The submitter notes prior registrations of Riona; unfortunately, these seem to have been based on a misunderstanding. At least in the two most recent cases, the 1/94 and 12/94 registrations of Riona Gillian McAllister and Riona Cullenagh respectively, Riona was supposed to be an Anglicization of Rígnach (later Ríoghnach). However, this justification doesn't work: evidence from other names indicates that the name would probably have been rendered phonetically in English as Rinagh. (In fact it was apparently usually Anglicized non-phonetically as Regina.) Even if the final consonant were for some reason dropped, the name would still come out Rina: Irish ío and English io represent different sounds, and the latter would not have been used as a phonetic representation of the former."
The consulting herald informs me that the submitter believes the name is pronounced "Ree-oh-na". The only name I have been able to locate which begins with "Rio" is the Occitan "Rioset". This could possibly be plausibly combined with some of the forms under the header form "Fay" in Reaney and Wilson. Also, matronymics are documented in Brenon. Using the saint's name allowance, de Fe (for Saint Faith, documented in Proper Names in the Lyrics of the Troubadours) could be used as a byname.
This would result in "Rioset de Fe". (I believe the "t" would be pronounced.)
The given name could be changed to "Rignach" or "Rioghnach" (both pronounced "Ree-nakh"). There are some options from other cultures which are closer to "Reena". "Marina de Fez" is a plausible late 15th century Spanish name; both name elements are found in Juliana de Luna's article "Spanish Names from the Late 15th Century", which is available online at http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/juliana/isabella/ . I believe the "z" would be pronounced as an "s", but someone whose knowledge of Spanish is better than mine may wish to offer a correction.
http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/talan/reaney/reaney.cgi?Marina documents Marina to 1230 (from Reaney and Wilson, under the header form Marrin). This could be plausibly combined with "de Fay" (1242) or "le fey" (1332). "de Fae" would probably also be a plausible spelling to use with this name. Another option is the Occitan Maurina from Brenon.
"Reina" is a possibility, but as "Reina" is the Society-protected Spanish and Catalan word for "queen", Reina with a de byname would be pretentious. Da'ud made this ruling concerning Regina in 3/1991; Elsbeth reaffirmed it in 2001. Withycombe (under header form Regina) documents Reina to the 13th century, stating that the spoken form of the name was probably "Reine" (the protected French word for "queen"). "le fey" or another byname under the header for "Fay" in Reaney and Wilson would probably be registerable. "le fey" is documented to 1332. (The byname "le fey" was registered recently; additional information can be found in these letters of intent concerning that registration: http://heraldry.ansteorra.org/gazette/199904AG.pdf and http://www.ansteorra.org/heraldry/LoI/LoI-1999-06/1999-06-LoI.html .)
15. Rowan Blackthorne - New name, New device
Sable, on a bend wavy between two stag's massacres argent two rowan
branches conjoined at the stems fructed vert.
Concerning the name:
Rowan Blackflame - Per RfS 1.a.ii, "Brekeleg ["break leg"] is significantly different from Brekeheved 'break head'." Based on this, "Blackthorne" should be clear of "Blackflame".
Rowena Gyles of Blackthorne - This should be clear by the additiosnal name element Gyles.
Rowena of the Thornes - This should be clear because of the submitted name's adjective. RfS V.1.a.ii states that Blacksmith is different from Smith.
Rose Blackthorne - Rowan and Rose are not diminutives of eachother. My personal opinion is that the given names are sufficiently different, but I cannot find a ruling to support this opinion. (Nor can I find one which contradicts it.)
16. Tatyana Kushina - New name, New device
Argent, a domestic cat's head cabossed and on a chief azure three
fleurs-de-lys argent.
Nice name! No conflicts found through February 2003. The change of "i" to "y" seems plausible to me, especially since Russian names are written in Cyrillic. (According to http://www.volgawriter.com/VW%20Cyrillic.htm, Cyrillic was invented in the ninth century.)
Device clear through May 2003.
17. Tigernach Mag Samhradháin - New badge
Quarterly gules and sable, three bendlets argent.
I found no conflicts through February 2003.